1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging container member and a packaging container for containing an ink-jet cartridge and/or an ink reservoir which are otherwise easily affected by external shock, such as by vibration or through being dropped, and by evaporation of water, occurring during storage or distribution. In particular, the present invention relates to a packaging container and a member therefor which are convenient to use and can meet environmental requirements.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fragile articles are generally protected by packaging materials having a cushioning effect against shock, such as paper, corrugated cardboard, foam sheets, and plastic molded products of styrene or polyurethane foam. Such packaging materials are generally unsuitable for storing ink cartridges and ink reservoirs, because evaporation of volatile components in the ink cannot be satisfactorily controlled.
FIG. 6 depicts methods disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 3-101945, 3-234659 and 4-62159 for storing ink-jet cartridges or ink reservoirs, in which an ink-jet cartridge or ink reservoir 1 is placed in an indented section of a plastic molded container 2 and the indented section is sealed by heat sealing using a composite film including an aluminum layer or an aluminum-deposited composite film 16 at the heat-seal section 17a on flange 15a of the indented section. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the aluminum composite film which is composed of a polyester film 13a, an aluminum layer 19a with a thickness of 500 xc3x85 deposited on the polyester film, a plastic film 14a of nylon or polyamide, if necessary, and an adhesive layer 20a for heat sealing the composite film to form a bag or blister container.
When the cartridge or reservoir 1 is light in weight or has relatively high impact resistance, the cartridge or reservoir is packed using a packaging bag composed of a composite film 16 with an aluminum layer formed by lamination or deposition. The aluminum layer can sufficiently suppress evaporation of ink components.
In recent years, the use of films not having an aluminum layer for packaging materials has been required in view of environmental protection. Metallic aluminum used in packaging materials requires a large amount of energy, e.g. petroleum, coal and nuclear energy, in its production process, although its recycling cost is lower than that of other natural resources such as iron and resin.
The use of aluminum in a composite film with resin in packaging must be avoided in view of energy conservation because the composite film is unsuitable for recycling. Further, the aluminum composite film does not transmit light, hence the packaged article is not visible.
Packaging by a conventional resin film without an aluminum layer allows permeation of volatile components such as water and alcohol in the ink, resulting in deterioration of ink-discharging characteristics and printing characteristics due to thickening of the ink.
Although polyvinylidene chloride has low permeability to volatile components, it generates dioxin, which is generally recognized as a harmful substance that is damaging to the environment when it is disposed of by combustion. Thus, this resin is unsuitable for packaging.
The present inventors have been intensively researching a packaging container member that does not allow permeation of water vapor, does not cause environmental problems, and is translucent enough to allows the contained contents to be visible.
As a result of their research, the present inventors have discovered that a silica- or alumina-deposited composite film is translucent enough that it allows the contained contents to be visible, and further has advantages such as low permeability that are comparable to aluminum-deposited films and composite films with aluminum layers.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a packaging container member and a packaging container that do not allow significant permeation of water vapor and that are translucent enough to allow the contained contents to be visible.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a packaging container that can adsorb odorous gas in the container.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a packaging container member and a packaging container that do not cause environmental problems.
A first aspect of the present invention is a packaging container member for containing at least one of an ink-jet head and an ink reservoir, the packaging container member including: a resin material with a composite layer deposited thereon, the composite layer including at least one of SiO2 and Al2O3; and an adhesive layer for sealing a containing space in a packaging container, the adhesive layer including a propylene resin substantially free of components of molecular weight of less than 80,000.
A second aspect of the present invention is a packaging container member for containing at least one of an ink-jet head and an ink reservoir, the packaging container member including: a resin material with a composite layer deposited thereon, the composite layer including at least one of SiO2 and Al2O3; and an adhesive layer for sealing a containing space in a packaging container, the adhesive layer including a biodegradable resin.
A third aspect of the present invention is a packaging container including one of the above-mentioned packaging container members and a packaging container body having a containing section for containing at least one of an ink-jet head and an ink reservoir, the packaging container member covering the containing section of the packaging container body, the adhesive layer bonding the packaging member to the packaging container body.
A fourth aspect of the present invention is a packaging container including a packaging bag which is composed of one of the above-mentioned packaging members sealed by the adhesive layer.
Since alumina (Al2O3) occurs naturally in the form of kaolin or hydrated aluminum silicate (Al2O3xc2x72SiO2xc2x72H2O), or bauxite (major components: Al(OH)3 and Al2O3xc2x72H2O), it can be produced without consuming a large amount of energy. Silica (SiO2) also occurs naturally, hence it also can be produced without consuming a large amount of energy.
The resin material with a composite layer of SiO2 and/or Al2O3 has advantages comparable to conventional aluminum-deposited films and conventional composite films with aluminum layers, when it is used in packaging containers.
The use of a biodegradable film permits the packaging container to be disposed in earth, since the film will be degraded by bacteria in the ground.
Preferably, the resin material is selected from the group consisting of polyester resins and polyolefin resins.
Preferably, the packaging container member comprises a laminate including at least two layers of resin films.
Preferably, the packaging container includes at least one of a gas adsorbent and a humectant for preventing evaporation of volatile components in an ink contained in the ink reservoir. The gas adsorbent may be wrapped with a wrapping material selected from an unwoven fabric and a film having fine pores. The humectant may contain a water-absorbable resin and may be wrapped with a wrapping material selected from an unwoven fabric and a film having fine pores. The wrapping material may be composed of the same material as that of the resin material. Preferably, the humectant is a water-containing activated charcoal.
The adsorbent adsorbs gaseous alcohol and ammonia which form in the ink-jet cartridge or the ink reservoir in the packaging container to enhance the reliability of the packaging container. The humectant maintains high humidity in the packaging container to suppress evaporation of volatile components in the ink. The use of the same material as the wrapping material and the resin material allows the packaging material to be recycled.
Permeability of water vapor is 0.005 to 0.1 g/m2/24 hr for composite films with aluminum films, 2 to 10 g/m2/24 hr for aluminum-deposited films, or 0.2 to 0.5 g/m2/24 hr for silica- or alumina-deposited films. Thus, the silica- or alumina-deposited films can be substituted for the aluminum-deposited films in the packaging container, without significant increase in permeability in accordance with the present invention. The silica- or alumina-deposited films are comparable to the composite films with aluminum layers when they are used with a humectant, although they can also be used alone when the volatility of the ink components is low.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.